Just in case you did not notice. There are just a few weeks left in 2025. What have you done to hit your goals this year? Better question: what are you doing today to finish strong? Most people go hard on goal-setting in January. They feel motivated for a few weeks, then watch themselves and their team drown in operations for the rest of the year. By March, those goals are buried. And this repeats over and over. You probably set ambitious yearly plans that died in Google Drive. By year-end,...
1 day ago • 1 min read
You feel it when the conversation comes up. Fear. Artificial intelligence. It’ll replace us. It’ll get us into trouble. We should be careful. I’m amused. Especially, when we enter into the combination of robotics and AI. That’s when things start coming interesting. Surgeons, replaced. All doctors, why not. Elon is very supportive of that. Consultants. Caregivers. And so on. Robots and AI will take all jobs. This time is different… Of course! Like the steam machine. Like the automobile. Like...
2 days ago • 1 min read
Last year, kindercare official picture, Christmas party with kids and family, strawberry picking, etc. This year, nothing. Last year, a competent person. This year, someone less so… or with less time… or with more excuses. No matter your contract. Your organization chart. Your incentives. Your whatever. People continue to be the key for success. Still companies squeeze to the bone salaries and benefits, and treat people like commodities… And honestly, they are not. At least, not yet… who...
3 days ago • 1 min read
I signed the contract on Monday. On Wednesday, I received a welcome email – I’m your personal property manager. Next day – Mail. We are talking care of connecting utilities. Later mail: Done! Next day – Mail: We are ordering the mattresses and the repairs as discussed during our meeting on the apartments. Early following week – Mail: We have listed the apartments. End of the week – Mail: We have conducted visits and we have received applications. We are doing our checks and will let you know...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Just yesterday, I had an interesting call. “What should I do if these guys are “locos”? Translated: What to do with a client that it’s not engaging? That’s a hard one. Let’s get more information: “Are they experienced?” “No” “Are they empowered?” “No” “Have they been instructed to give you nuts?” “Maybe” “Warm… Have you asked why **** is so important for them?” “No” “Warmer… Have you had recently a coffee or conversation with their bosses?” “No” “Ummm… let’s prepare an action plan” You can...
5 days ago • 1 min read
The more cases I review from my advisor’s position, the more amazed I’m about people repeating the same mistakes over and over. One of the most astonishing, under-focused risks in infrastructure PPPs is land availability and land cost escalation. Too often, governments assume or implicitly transfer the risk of land value increases to the private concessionaire. Please, don’t. I come from Spain and one of my first babies were the R5 and R3 radial roads, at the time ACS’s concessions. And...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Recently, I assisted with horror to a meeting where I was told that the respondents of an RFP had no limit of pages in their offers. They asked my opinion. My answer was graphic. If I was the bid manager and I had a gun, I would use it. No limits. OMG. The last shoes that you want to wear are those of the bid managers in the RFP. Imagine yourself with that burden. No limits. And the risk of these guys awarding a several billions dollars contract by the weight of the paper brought in the...
7 days ago • 1 min read
The worst thing that can happen to a man, woman or chair is becoming civilized.Because then spending time in an office meeting people they don’t like and doing things that they hate under halogen lights feels acceptable.And using a ThinkPad with Windows. And preparing a PowerPoint. And eating the daily lunch special.And being afraid to ask for a raise. And when you point it out to him (to her, to it, to them) he tells you that “it is what it is,” that “what can you do,” that “life is like...
8 days ago • 1 min read
The New York Times (1920) “A rocket will never leave the Earth’s atmosphere.” — The New York Times, editorial. 49 years later… “The Times regrets the error.” — The New York Times, July 17, 1969 (the day after Apollo 11 launched) 1952 – Lee de Forest, a legendary and respected engineer, (Father of Radio) “Man will never reach the Moon… Mortals must live and die on Earth.” 1956 – Sir Richard Woolley, Britain’s top astronomer. “Space travel is utter bilge.” — Sir Richard Woolley, Astronomer...
9 days ago • 2 min read